View and edit file extensions in Vista

The time may come when you too will want to change the file extension of a file. In windows this can be quite tricky, since it hides the extensions and if you try renaming a text file to “mp3″ you will get the following file: “mysong.mp3.txt”. Here’s the hack to solve your file renaming problem.

Windows Xp users open My Computer or any folder and select “tools -> folder options”. Then, click on the “view” tab and scroll down until you see “Hide extensions for known file types”. Un-check the box next to it and click ok. You should now be able to see, and modify extensions.

Windows Vista users should open Computer or any folder and click on “Organize” in the top bar. Click on “Folder and search options” and then click on the “view tab”. From then on it’s the same, go down until you see “Hide extensions for known file types”, un-check the box and click ok.

A nice feature built in is that if you rename a file, windows automatically highlights the filename, but only that, not the extension. While I do rename file extensions I rename filenames way more often, so a nice touch by Microsoft (for once?).